My wife and I need to take our grinding to the next level, and by that, we are attempting to find a decent burr grinder for under $100 --- I am clueless when it comes to these things --- I can tell you that we mainly drink coffee the following ways:

- Standard Drip - 10% of the time

- Keurig using our "pack your own" K Cup - 50% of the time

- Nespresso using my Capsul'n pods (for me, about 90% of all the coffee/espresso I drink at home)

- French press - 25% of the time

- Aeropress -- just now getting into it and maybe 15% of the time

Let me know what you recommend, I am not opposed to used or refurbished as long as you all can recommend a place that does it with quality.

My wife and I need to take our grinding to the next level, and by that, we are attempting to find a decent burr grinder for under $100 --- I am clueless when it comes to these things --- I can tell you that we mainly drink coffee the following ways:

- Standard Drip - 10% of the time

- Keurig using our "pack your own" K Cup - 50% of the time

- Nespresso using my Capsul'n pods (for me, about 90% of all the coffee/espresso I drink at home)

- French press - 25% of the time

- Aeropress -- just now getting into it and maybe 15% of the time

Let me know what you recommend, I am not opposed to used or refurbished as long as you all can recommend a place that does it with quality.

thanks for the link --- in reading this link, it appears that a decent burr under $100 is not feasible unless I go with a hand crank, as the majority of the beans I need it for are for espresso.... any suggestions outside of sweetmarias comparisons?

(02-17-2014, 09:40 PM)Boonie21 Wrote: thanks for the link --- in reading this link, it appears that a decent burr under $100 is not feasible unless I go with a hand crank, as the majority of the beans I need it for are for espresso.... any suggestions outside of sweetmarias comparisons?

Thanks,

JB

If you want the grinder for espresso and for it to be under 100. That would be like looking for a Simpson quality Silvertip for under $50. The Entry level electric grinder for Espresso is the Ranchillo Rocky about $375. Refurbished about 300. The Rocky is well built and with care should last 15 years or so. The burrs should be changed every 200 lbs or so. They are relatively inexpensive but can be a real bear to remove.

It's tough to find a good grinder for espresso that's under $100. I'm sure you've seen by now that most recommendations will start with the premise that the grinder is probably more important than the machine and you can't get a proper electric grinder for the budget you've set.

If you're willing to increase your budget a bit you may want to look at buying a refurbished Baratza Vario. These are wonderfully designed grinders with Malkoenig burrs and is versatile enough for espresso and other coffee brew types. These can be bought directly from Baratza (great customer service , btw), and it comes with a doser option if you want to grind directly into your portafilter.

I bought a Vario for my girlfriend. It is not nearly as good as my Maestro and I wouldn't bother grinding espresso with my Maestro. Okay, maybe it's almost as good, but I can tell the difference. In coffee, small variations in the grind mean big differences in taste; but only if you can taste the difference.

(02-20-2014, 07:48 PM)Darkbulb Wrote: I love my Hario manual burr grinder and it was about 20-25 dollars or so.

point me to where these are good Sir.

This is the one I have and I love it.
One of those holds enough coffee grind to brew at least a 16oz (think Starbucks "Grande") cup/thermos of coffee and the grind quality is excellent.
Well, 4.5 stars based on 583 reviews is pretty good

Look under BARATZA.com they have an ungrade kit for the Encore and some refurbished units...I think the grinder is more important than the coffee maker...spend a bit more and when the time is right upgrade the coffee maker...I got the Virtuso and it is really nice.

I'm a big fan of the the La Pavoni La Moka Burr Grinder. We bought it online through Daily Cuppa Coffee about 3 monnths ago and it was a fabulous choice. We're heavy coffee drinkers and in a day we go through 8-10 cups of coffee quite easily. And this burr grinder always delivers. Highly recommended!